The Pensions Regulator and the Department for Work and Pensions have sent employers the clear message, “Don’t ignore the Workplace Pension”. If you don’t remember the adverts with the big, colourful monster, you can still watch them on YouTube. Last week, we witnessed the first criminal convictions for deliberately disregarding this message.

Stotts Tours (Oldham) is a family-owned company which operates bus services in the Greater Manchester area. It was required by law to enrol its staff in a pension, and to make pension contributions from June 2015; however, it did not carry out these duties.

The Pensions Regulator believed that the company deliberately failed to comply with the law and so it began criminal prosecutions of both the company and one of the directors.

The company, and its director, pleaded guilty to eight counts each of wilful failure to comply with the automatic enrolment duty, at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 10 November. The case was adjourned for sentencing on 14 December.

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Steven is one of the founders of The Payroll Site. He writes about things affecting small businesses, especially those things connected with payroll. He's also a Maths graduate and a Chartered IT Professional and has a few views about technology, maths and the misuse of both.